


Wintersend Ferrets and Cats in Trees

by HeroMaggie



Series: Ser Chompy brings people together [9]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Cats and Ferrets getting into mischief, Fenris is incapable of leaving shiny things alone, M/M, Ser Fluffy loves to climb trees, Shenanigans, Wintersend Trees, fluffy and light, holiday fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 05:57:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5486192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeroMaggie/pseuds/HeroMaggie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anders has brought home a Wintersend tree - complete with shiny glass bulbs. Is it too much to ask for Ser Chompy and Ser Fluffy Paws to leave it alone?</p>
<p>A Wintersend Story of holiday shenanigans and ferrets who can't seem to leave shiny objects alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wintersend Ferrets and Cats in Trees

**Author's Note:**

> The Wintersend Tree does not exist - as far as I know. However, I wanted to do one story with a holiday tree in it and thought - Wintersend would fit. No ferrets and cats were harmed in the writing of this story.

Fenris blinked at the tree sitting in the mansion. It was green and smelled like forests and cool nights, was tall and fat, and had an abundance of small glass balls on it. It was in the sitting room Anders had cleaned recently - the tattered carpet no longer covered in dust, dirt, and blood; the furniture fixed and back in place; the walls scrubbed; the corpses removed. The tree sat near the mantle - a gleaming, fresh smelling mystery.

Humming announced Anders’ arrival to the sitting room, his arms filled with more greenery - fresh-cut boughs of evergreen that he took to the mantle.

“Mage. What is all this?” Fenris waved his hand to encompass the entirety of “all this.”

“A Wintersend tree. It’s part of a Ferelden tradition. You know, never ending beauty, the glory of the coming spring, how life can persevere through the dark of winter?” Anders arranged the boughs on the mantle and then pulled little red bows from his pocket to stick in the needles.

“I do not know. We never...how come I have not seen this before?” Fenris frowned.

“Well, Hawke never had the space before. This is more a Ferelden custom than Free Marches, and besides that, Gamlen’s an old stick-in-the-mud. Hawke decided that this year, since the mansion is finally done, to put up a tree. He helped me find one as well.” Anders stood back and admired the entire room. “We keep it up till the day after Wintersend. So a week from now.”

A little mew heralded the arrival of Ser Fluffy Paws. The cat meandered to the tree, gave it a sniff, and immediately began to climb it. Anders squawked and ran to grab the cat. “No. Bad Fluffy. Bad kitty!”

“Anders. That is a tree. Cats climbs trees.” Fenris watched with amusement as Anders and the cat argued a bit, Ser Fluffy Paws going limp in Anders’ arms as he continued to lecture.

“I know, but he shouldn’t climb it. And you shouldn’t steal the balls. I mean it, Fenris.” Anders warned.

Fenris just hummed and smiled, as if the entire idea had never occurred to him

***

It was dark when Fenris emerged from the bedroom. Chittering quietly to himself, he slithered from the doorway to the hall. Intent on his goal, he almost missed the playful mrrp of Ser Fluffy, the cat slinking from the shadows to prance around the ferret. There was a moment where ferret and cat stared at each other, eyes unblinking, and communed in some silent language that only animals seemed to understand. And then Ser Fluffy scampered down the stairs - followed by a very amused ferret.

The tree gleamed in the moonlight. Glass balls shimmered where the light touched them - little sparkly balls of temptation that left Fenris’ nose twitching in anticipation. He was deeply glad that Ser Fluffy wasn’t quite as attracted to the sparkly balls, that it was the tree the cat was eying with such interest. Ser Fluffy pranced around the tree, tail high and fluffed, gleeful smirk on his face. Fenris couldn’t help but mirror his preening strut, whiskers twitching in anticipation.

They waited for some unseen signal: the moon to hit the tree just right, the slapping boots of the night guardsman to fade away, the house to settle with one more creek, before they were off. Fenris managed to get up the tree first - his lithe ferret body small enough to slink through the branches faster than Ser Fluffy’s bulk. He teetered on one branch, pondering the ornament nestled in nearest him when he spied the bows in the in boughs on the mantle.

His desire for a bow grew, and he scampered higher in the tree so that he could attempt to leap onto the mantle.

Meanwhile, Ser Fluffy completed yet another rotation around the tree, tail swishing as he eyed the trunk. With a grumbling mrow, he gripped the trunk and began to inch upward, claws digging into the wood. The tree wobbled, Ser Fluffy’s fluff throwing everything off-balance. Fenris chittered, clinging to his branch as the tree swayed. Ser Fluffy found a branch large enough to hold him and sat, grooming his face while eying a branch farther up. Fenris noted Ser Fluffy’s break and decided that was the perfect time to aim towards leaping to the mantle.

Unfortunately, Ser Fluffy finished his face grooming and slowly began to climb further up the tree. That taller branch called to him, beckoned him higher. The tree shook with each inch gained, the wobbles throwing Fenris slightly off-balance. Still, Fenris thought he could make the mantle with one, good leap and readied himself. He inhaled to throw himself forward just as Ser Fluffy slipped on the trunk. The cat scrabbled, frantically clawing at the wood, and slid downward - tilting the tree precariously. The tree teetered and then began to fall sideways - towards the mantle that Fenris was attempting to reach.

The tree slammed into the mantle, throwing Fenris against the marble. His claws scrabbled for purchase, catching on a long ribbon and gripping - pulling not one but all of the boughs of evergreen off the mantle. He landed on the floor - under the evergreen boughs - gripping one bow victoriously in his jaws.

The tree gave another shudder as Ser Fluffy dropped to the floor, glass balls following in the cat’s wake. The balls hit the ground and shattered, covering Fenris and Ser Fluffy in broken glass, pine needles, and bits of ribbon. Ser Fluffy howled, loudly. Fenris began a long, angry chatter at the cat.

“What in Andraste’s name is going on in here?” Anders yelled. Barefoot and in sleep pants, hair mussed, he stood at entry to the sitting room and blinked owlishly. A wave of his hand and small globes of light burst into being, flitting around the room and highlighting the floor covered with glass, the tree tipped against the mantle, and one ferret and one cat covered in evergreen boughs, glass, and ribbon - the ferret holding a still-tied bow in his mouth.

“What did I say? No touching the tree. No climbing the tree. No stealing the ornaments!” Anders lectured as he tiptoed closer and grabbed Ser Fluffy. “Fenris, you stay right there. There’s glass everywhere.”

Ser Fluffy gave a yowl of displeasure as Anders looked him over. “Looks like I’m giving baths tonight and then cleaning the front room. No, do not move Fenris. I’m going to put Fluffy in the bathing room and then I’ll be back to get you.” Anders turned and stomped away, leaving a very contrite ferret in the sitting room.

***

Two days later, Anders came home from the clinic worn out. The augue had infected half of Darktown and everybody was heading to the clinic to get a cure. There was no cure; no magic spell or potion could cure the augue. It simply had to be suffered through, though everybody wished for a pat on the knee and an elfroot potion to aid in the headaches and body pains. It had been a long day of whining, snotty, cranky patients, and Anders was worn thin.

Stepping into the mansion, he gave a sigh. He hadn’t had time to fix the Wintersend tree and was still a little miffed at Fenris and Ser Fluffy. A noise from the front sitting room drew him across the foyer - anger already starting to build at the thought that one of them was up in the tree again.

He found Fenris in the room standing on a chair and tying bows to the top branches of the Wintersend tree. Small balls of fluffy yarn - all in blues and silver - were also covering the tree. Soft, non-breakable, but still so pretty. More evergreen boughs decorated the mantle with blue and silver bows pressed into the needles. On one of the chairs sat Ser Fluffy, a fluffy yarn ball in his mouth, a silver bow around his neck.

“What’s this?” Anders stood in the doorway and gawked.

“We are sorry, Anders,” Fenris said as he stepped from the chair. “They are not glass balls - but perhaps, this is better?”

“This is...this is perfect,” Anders said, smile filling his face. “I love the colors. Where did you get them?”

“I talked to Hawke. He said he does not use glass balls because of Martin. Apparently, mabari enjoy chewing on trees.” Fenris gazed at their tree, delight making him smile. “I already have one of the balls in my stash. I promise to not touch these. Ser Fluffy is going to try not to climb the tree, but if he does, these will not break.”

“You thought of everything.” Anders moved across the room to wrap his arms around Fenris. “Thank you.”

Fenris smiled up at Anders. “Well, a very silly ferret upset you. I hope this will help you to forgive him.”

Anders smiled, squeezed Fenris, and said, “I suppose I can forgive him. He was just doing what ferrets do. Ser Fluffy as well. This...this was the perfect gift to come home to. I feel much better. How about some romping time?”

Fenris’ eyes gleamed. “Perfect. Here, this bow is for me. Your Wintersend ferret.”

Anders let out a laugh. And when Fenris shrunk down to a ferret, Anders tied the bow around his neck and watched with amusement as he romped - quite happily - around the Wintersend tree.


End file.
